Chapter 2 - The Medicine Bag in the MudThe discovery of the submerged pickup truck sent a shockwave through the Bellwood County Search and Rescue team.
Detective Marcus Vance stepped down into the muddy ravine, his rain slicker dripping as he shined a high-powered flashlight into the shattered cab of the truck.
The driverâs side door was jammed open against a thick oak stump. The seatbelt was unbuckled.
âHe got out,â Detective Vance shouted over the roar of the swollen creek. âHe didn't drown in the cab!â
A volunteer firefighter pointed to a series of heavy impressions in the thick mud leading up the steep embankment away from the raging river.
âLook here,â the firefighter called out. âHe crawled up the bank. He was dragging his left leg.â
The search crew followed the faint trail of broken branches and dragged footprints into the dense, rain-soaked woods bordering the county road.
May you like
Andrew Mercer hadn't run away. When his truck was swept off the flooded bridge during Mondayâs torrential flash flood, he had fought his way out of the sinking vehicle, retrieved his daughterâs medicine from the passenger seat, and dragged himself into the woods despite a severe leg injury.
He had been trying to crawl back to his daughter for four days.
Related Stories
